On Monday (2nd), a sudden and violent eruption began at Mount Etna, a volcano located on the Italian island of Sicily, catching everyone by surprise.
Etna is the largest and most active volcano in all of Europe. During its last eruption, tourists were seen fleeing the area while black smoke filled the city’s sky.
The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) observed that Mount Etna was experiencing “intense and nearly continuous” Strombolian explosions.
Now, images taken from space of the frightening eruption are leaving internet users amazed. The photos were taken by the Sentinel-2C satellite from Copernicus.
The shots were taken “a few minutes after the eruption began,” showing a huge ash column reaching 6.5 km into the sky. Besides the smoke, it is possible to see a “fine reddish material” produced by the pyroclastic flow toward the northwest.
Pyroclastic flows, a mix of hot gas and volcanic material, are considered extremely dangerous as they travel at speeds up to 100 km/h and can reach temperatures up to 1,000°C.
Fortunately, the flow caused no damage in this case. According to the latest INGV statement, the eruptive activity has now ceased.
The last time Mount Etna erupted violently was on August 14 last year, resulting in the closure of nearby airports after the eruption sent a smoke column 9.5 kilometers high.
Photo and video: Instagram @copernicus_eu. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
